Ingegjerd Mandt

Ingegjerd MandtCeramics

My working processes are changing between applied art and sculptural ceramics.

I like to work with both.  A cup is resting in your hand and a sculptural form can invite you to look at it from another angle. The form and surface can support the expression by giving a good or an unpleasant feeling, and these expressions stimulate our senses.

In my  sculptural forms I am inspired by nature’s own processes. I like that the form gives the feeling of growing from inside. Like a tree that tries to defend itself against the harsh wind, by not growing to tall, but twisting around to make itself stronger and turning in the direction of the sun.

I build up my objects with slabs of clay, a mixture of earthenware and stoneware. I use different slips and glazes for the surface. They are mostly fired up several times around 1060°C to 1100°C.

Cups

I am very fond of making cups. A cup is a small object, but important in most people's everyday life. The fact that we hold the cup with our hands and it feels good, can make a good moment in the day. For me they are a treasure, maybe because there are so many processes in making just one cup, and I do not want to loose the pleasure of making them.

I use earthenware for throwing. I mix a Norwegian earthenware clay with an English earthenware.  The surface is sanded with sandpaper to make it smooth after the biscuit firing and then I decorate the surface by using wax and colours of chloride-oxides.

 

Photo by Irene Lislien ©